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This Weeks Read

NAEP Long-Term Trend Assessment Results: Reading and Mathematics

Three Important Call-outs

1. Scores decline again for 13-year-old students in reading and mathematics

   The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) administered the NAEP long-term trend (LTT) reading and mathematics assessments to 13-year-old students from October to December of the 2022–23 school year. The average scores for 13-year-olds declined 4 points in reading and 9 points in mathematics compared to the previous assessment administered during the 2019–20 school year. Compared to a decade ago, the average scores declined 7 points in reading and 14 points in mathematics.

2. Scores decline for many student groups in reading, and for nearly all student groups in mathematics

   The 2023 average scores in reading declined compared to 2020 for many student groups reported by NAEP; for example, scores were lower for both male and female 13-year-olds, for students eligible and not eligible for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and for students attending schools in the Northeast and the Midwest regions. In mathematics, scores declined compared to 2020 for most student groups; for example, scores were lower for Black, Hispanic, and White 13-year-olds, for students attending schools in all regions of the country, for students eligible and not eligible for the NSLP, and for students at all reported levels of parental education.

3. Percentage of students missing 5 or more days of school monthly has doubled since 2020

   Students who took the 2023 long-term trend reading and mathematics assessments were asked how many days of school they had missed in the last month. Responses to the survey question for both subjects indicate a decrease in the percentages of 13-year-old students reporting having missed none to 2 days in the past month compared to 2020. Conversely, there were increases in the percentages of 13-year-old students who reported missing 3 or 4 days and students who reported missing 5 or more days in the last month. The percentage of students who reported missing 5 or more days doubled from 5 percent in 2020 to 10 percent in 2023.

Read the full article here:

Our Take

• This is not surprising data—especially to those of us who have been working in and running K-12 schools prior to 2020, through the entire pandemic, and in the post-pandemic era. Don’t get us wrong, it’s moving in the wrong direction [we are acutely concerned about the disproportionality], and statistically the data has been relatively flat for 40 years. And we know—it’s not for a lack of trying on the parts of teachers, schools, and leaders. Despite the White House saying that schools now have the resources to close the lost-learning gaps, can anyone scream “a lack of financial and human resources at the school building level” loud enough for the kids in the back to hear?

• Students are unengaged and disenchanted with the instruction and opportunities they are receiving. Teaching and instruction has predominantly returned to the way it was prior to 2020. Despite the innovations and gains that did indeed came out of necessity in 2020, compliance, bureaucratic systems, and politics have squandered the wave of innovation. Additionally, instruction has generally become over-scaffolded and diluted. It is leaders’ responsibility to foster agency and filter out the bullshit from above.

• We can’t help but overlay teacher retention data to provide further context. Students need teachers and many students have missed the opportunity due to teacher churn. We can’t say it better than this Chalkbeat article from March:

  “…But they were meaningful, and the churn could affect schools’ ability to help students make up for learning loss in the wake of the pandemic. This data also suggests that spiking stress levels, student behavior challenges, and a harsh political spotlight have all taken their toll on many American teachers.”

The reopening of schools has brought to light significant declines in attendance rates. The persistently low attendance numbers indicate a concerning new normal of widespread absenteeism. Barriers to attendance have increased for most groups of students. This issue is particularly worrisome for younger children who entered environments that appear, possibly, to accept and disregard absenteeism. While being present in the classroom does not guarantee learning, it is clear that students who consistently miss school are unlikely to acquire substantial knowledge. This emphasizes the urgent need to address this issue.

A Quick Win as a Leader?

• Consider providing a tool and model for student-centered learning and agency to begin the long-journey of transforming the student and teacher experience from unengaged and disenchanted to engaged and efficacious.

  • Student-Centered Approaches: Shifting from traditional teacher-centered instruction to student-centered approaches is crucial. This is acutely centered on ensuring students are given the opportunity to attempt the work [the high-quality, above grade-level, standards-based] first before instruction and scaffolding.

    • Redesign universal planning processes and protocols to ensure each lesson design starts with the teacher/coach/leader doing the student work [problem/prompt of the day AND the end of lesson assessment] first. Chart and plan for the top three conceptual misconceptions. Use these misconceptions as driving points of feedback throughout the lesson. Oh, and ensure students are given the opportunity prior to robbing it through instruction and over-scaffolding.

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